Being Addicted
by BaneLupine
Summary: There is more than an addiction to blood to deal with... Tom begins to drink. Can Hal help?  No slash
1. Chapter 1

Addiction

Friendship only.

Tom didn't like to drink. His first taste of alcohol was snuck from a whiskey bottle he found shoved down the side of the sofa in the campervan. He was 14 at the time, it burned his throat and made his stomach curl but he liked it. McNair didn't, when he found out the next day. All the bottles of whiskey from then on was carefully locked away.

Not that it stopped him. The next time was on his sixteenth birthday it was on a full moon so McNair left him with a chicken and a dozen stakes and a slightly squashed cupcake. There was a couple of hours left before the full moon, he had to still drag the chicken about but he wasn't feeling good. He wanted a real birthday party with presents! Not a cupcake from the reduced isle in Asda and a box of sharpened sticks. He saw the liquor cabinet, he grabbed a knife and jimmed the lock. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and relocked it. He went for the chicken and ran into the woods. He opened the bottle and sipped it. The burn was the same but it helped. He slowly got more and more drunk. The moon was rising and he dropped the bottle as the pain kicked it. The transformation seemed less painful as he lost conciousness but the agongy was more than usual, combined with the hangover it was almost enough to make him black out. If he could bring up a strong thought he would have sworn off alcohol but he didn't until 4 hours later when he consumed enough painkillers to sedate it.

The ban only lasted till he was 20. His father died. Instead of jimmying the lock, he just smashed the lock and drank 2 large bottles before passing out. To him it was perfect, he had a dream which in the dream McNair came to him and told him that it would be alright and he was proud of him and loved him. The hangover was again murder but somehow he got through it.

His 21st birthday had him drinking again but the full moon, that was soon meant he burnt off the alcohol in a couple hours in the cell. It cleared his mind and he figured it out that Kirby was behind it all.

So one night when he couldn't sleep, he wandered downstairs and collasped on the sofa, he reached for the remote and turned on the TV. There was nothing on, so he just channel flicked until Annie popped downstairs. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I jus' couldn't sleep. I'll keep it down." Tom replied and notched the volume down to a low hum.

"When my grandmother couldn't sleep she used to drink a shot of whiskey to help her. In fact I remember seeing a bottle of it behind the bar." Annie smiled and popped back to her own room.

Tom got up and found the bottle stashed under the bar and carefully poured out a shot. He put the bottle back and took his drink to the couch. He sipped it and before he knew it he fell alseep.

Worth continuing?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Addiction

This is about section is about it developing.

The next morning, Tom felt great! He had a good night's sleep and the world seemed good. Even Hal seemed less annoying that usual. Eve seemed happier and she was crying less so Annie was in a good mood. He made sure to thank Annie for her advice last night. After his breakfast, Tom and Hal headed off to work in the Cafe.

Tom was even whistling on the way to work. Hal couldn't for the life of him figure out why Tom was so happy but he was happy that the boy wasn't aiming stakes at him. He liked his friend happy, it suited him, made him seem younger, more innocent. Well innocent for a person who goes around killing undead beings who also transforms into a creature who on the loose would put any vampire to shame with it's blood lust.

They opened the Cafe up for the first rounds of hungry builders and workmen in the area. Things thankfully slowed down around 2pm. They could take a breather and have a cup of tea together.

"Why are you so happy then?" Hal had to ask.

"No reason just got a good night's sleep, that's all." Tom even smiled as he said it.

Work finished up and they gave Annie their pay for the day and ate some tea, a bit of TV before bed and the day was done.

The next week went the same till it was the night before the full moon. Tom was pacing his room. Too worked up to sleep, he remembered the trick from last time and went to bar to pour himself a shot. On second thoughts he made it a large a downed it neat. Once the burn faded, he yawned and made his way to bed again. It worked again. He fell fast asleep.

The full moon came and went and a painful transformation in the basement left him tired and ill. Another night past and he was feeling worse so another shot of whiskey each night to put him to sleep. It was soon taking him two shots to get to sleep.

The bottle was emptied pretty soon so Tom dug underneath the bar and found some more bottles. This time brandy. He chose the brandy remembering the flavour from mincepies. It was weaker than the whiskey so he had to drink a little bit more to get to sleep.

It was a rough day at the Cafe, nothing was going right. He burnt 2 batches of burgers, his hands were twitching and he was being hassled by the builders again. Calling him stupid. Hal stepped in enough to stop a fight for which he threw him a thankful smile.

It was time for his lunch anyways so after telling Hal he went off to the local cornershop to buy a drink and a sandwhich. He was choosing when he spotted a shelf of minatures behind the keepers head. He grabbed a cheese sandwhich and paid but before he let the shop he asked for a minature bottle of Jack Daniels. After getting ID'd, the shopkeeper handed it over, Tom stuck it deep in his jacket pocket. He stopped in the alley next to the shop, he dug out the little bottle and twisted the lid off. 'Just a little sip.' But he gained his senses and quickly put the cap back on and pushed the little bottle back into his pockets.

He forgot all about it until a couple hours later, when the builders came back in. He dealt with the normal jokes about his intelligence. One did cut to the quick. One of the builders had to bring up his parents. With a snarl he cleared the counter, holding a stake in his hand. "Com'on then, if you think you are hard enough!" Hal rushed out and pulled him back behind the counter trying to tell the obviously now spooked builders that his friend was having a bad day. The builders quickly left after that. Hal returned to the kitched to find an angry, snarling Tom pacing around, waving the stake around.

"Tom! Put that thing down before you do something we both will regret." Hal reached out and carefully removed the stake from his grip. "What happened there?"

Tom gave off another snarl. "Those dickheads! Making fun of me dad!"

Hal made a calm down gesture and tried to pacify Tom. " Those heathens said anything to get a rise out of you. They are gone now go into the bathroom and calm down for a second." Tom let himself be led into the employees bathroom, he locked the door and sat down on the toilet lid, the bottle of JD cutting into his leg. He pulled it out and without a chance to think about it downs the lot. He stashes the empty behind the toilet and goes to the sink and holds on tight as the world spins a bit.

Once he gained his sense of balance he washed his face and used some of the antibotic hand wash to scrub his hands down where the slightly dirty wood of the stake mingled with the sweat to make muddy streaks against his palms. He felt calm enough to come outside now. He walked out, thanked Hal and finished the rest of his day as usual but it took 3 shots to get to sleep that night, his mind was chewing over what happened today.


End file.
